periphrastic
circumlocutory; roundabout.
Grammar. noting a construction of two or more words having the same syntactic function as an inflected word, as of Mr. Smith in the son of Mr. Smith, which is equivalent to Mr. Smith's in Mr. Smith's son.
Origin of periphrastic
1Other words from periphrastic
- per·i·phras·ti·cal·ly, adverb
- un·per·i·phras·tic, adjective
- un·per·i·phras·ti·cal·ly, adverb
Words Nearby periphrastic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use periphrastic in a sentence
This was supplied, in the common periphrastic manner, by the help of the preposition and the article.
The Verbalist | Thomas Embly Osmun, (AKA Alfred Ayres)When the present is found not to be distinctive enough, periphrastic forms come in.
This tendency, together with periphrastic instead of verbal conjugation, continued to the end.
Myths and Legends of Ancient Egypt | Lewis SpenceIn conversation they generally use a periphrastic epithet, such as the All-Good.
The Coming Race | Edward Bulwer LyttonAs poetry it does not measure up to Aasen; as translation it is periphrastic, arbitrary, not at all faithful.
An Essay Toward a History of Shakespeare in Norway | Martin Brown Ruud
British Dictionary definitions for periphrastic
/ (ˌpɛrɪˈfræstɪk) /
employing or involving periphrasis
expressed in two or more words rather than by an inflected form of one: used esp of a tense of a verb where the alternative element is an auxiliary verb. For example, He does go and He will go involve periphrastic tenses
Derived forms of periphrastic
- periphrastically, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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